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Greens water spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon has warned the Abbott-Truss government from using the stocktake of irrigation projects to justify winding up plans for retrieving water to ensure river health across the Murray Darling Basin.

"This stocktake looks like a ploy by Water Minister Bob Baldwin to justify the government's long term aim to allow big irrigators to retain water that should go back to the ailing river system," Senator Rhiannon said.

Commenting on AGL's decision to end all political donations (http://tinyurl.com/norm5yb), Greens spokesperson for democracy Senator Lee Rhiannon said: "Even if AGL finally understands why corporate political donations are so problematic, what's taking the Coalition and Labor so long?

"In the past five years the minerals industry has donated more than $5 million, the gambling industry $4 million and the property industry more than $9 million to political parties.

BlueScope's $134 million profit, and the nine per cent increase in revenue from last financial year, undermine the company's claims that it needs "sacrifices from its workforce" at Port Kembla in order to remain profitable, Greens Senator for NSW Lee Rhiannon said."BlueScope is threatening to shut down operations in Port Kembla, putting at risk tens of thousands of jobs across the Illawarra and the region's future economic viability," Senator Rhiannon said.

Reports that very few students enrolled in private colleges graduate with qualifications reveals the extent of the negative impact for-profit companies are having on education standards, Greens tertiary, technical and further education spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon said.

A new airport for Sydney is urgently needed to overcome the major issues of aircraft noise, air pollution and public safety. The Greens have set out a plan which would see public ownership of the new facility, a high speed rail link linking it to major population centers and redevelopment of the site of the current airport.

The Abbott government’s refusal to release higher education modelling documents arguing that it would be contrary to the public interest is jaw dropping says Australian Greens spokesperson for higher education Senator Lee Rhiannon.